Protector for shoes and the like



Sept. 5, 1939. R. HINCHLIFF Er Al.

PROTECTOR FOR SHOES AND THE LIKE j?? aw? fans f 755 y P Patented Sept.5, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE PROTECTOR FOR SHO-ES AND THE LIKEApplication May 23, 1938, Serial No. 209,544

6 Claims.

Our` invention relates to protectors for shoes and the like and has forone object to provide a new and improved type of protector which may beeasily put on and taken off, which will stay correctly in place whilebeing worn, and which will be to a minimum extent subject to tearing inconnection with the process of putting it on and taking it off.

Our invention comprises generally a fabric protector preferably thoughnot necessarily knit but at any rate shaped to conform to the contour ofthe shoe or foot of lthe wearer. The protector comprises a tubular toeportion taper-ed and closed at the forward end, a foot portion closed atthe underside but open at the top., a heel portion open at top andbottom and a tubular portion or heel pocket extending rearwardly beyondthe open heel portion and closed at the end.

While the protector is preferably made of knitted fabric, knitted toshape, the upper and lower openings being bounded by selvage edges, itwill be understood that it might be made of knitted or woven fabric withor without selvage edgesand it might be sewed or otherwise shaped ratherthan knitted to shape. However the article is made, it will be made ofsoft, comparatively flexible fabric but fabric at least no more elasticthan ordinary cotton stocking fabric and so since the article isintended to rst be slipped over the toe of the wearer and then .broughtup over the heel, it must be stretched considerably beyond its normalsize to permit clearance over the heel. The reason for this is thatunless the greatest of care is used, the protector is likely to be splitor torn. This can be obvated by knitting or weaving into the protectorat some point, preferably not in front of the rear extremity of the toeportion a plurality of courses or lines of stitches of elastic threadsuch as the well known Lastex or rubber thread with cotton coveringwhich is well known in the textile industry.

Such elastic insert or panel, experience teaches, should preferably comeat the rear extremity of the heel because this material is somewhat morerough and clinging than the body of the fabric and by placing it at theextreme rear of the heel, it supports and stiffens the protector andbinds it to the shoe at a point where that protection is most needed.

Other objects will appear from time to time throughout the specificationand claims.

Our invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is a side view of the protectorapplied to a shoe;

Figure 2 is a side View of the protector applied to a foot without ashoe;

Figure 3 is a plan View of the protector as applied to a shoe;

Figure 4 is a side View of the protector in its flat condition beforebeing placed in use;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the rearward elastic panel in reverseposition;

Figure 6 is a section along the line S-- of Figure 5;

Figure '7 is a View similar to Figure 4 showing a modified form;

Figure 8 is a similar form showing a further modication.

Figure 9 is a plan View of the selvage edge of the panel 1, flattenedout and not rolled.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specificationand drawing.

l is a shoe having a toe portion a heel lift or block 3, and a heelportion Ii. 5 is a protector having a tapered toe pocket 6, an upperfoot opening 1, extending from the toe pocket rearwardly toward the backof the protector body. 8 is a heel opening on the under side of theprotector extending forwardly from a point adjacent the rear of the bodyand terminating further from the front than does the upper foot openingand l l is a heel pocket. As indicated the protector is knitted to shapethough to be sure it might be otherwise formed either by knitting orweaving and it might be sewn to shape from either knitted or wovenfabric.

9 is an elastic panel, in this case at the rear end of the body andimmediately behind the rearmost extremities of the two openings in theprotector. This panel takes the form as knitted of a short tube l. Inknitting the toe pocket is closed as indicated. The side panels 5, arethen knitted and they terminate in elastic portion or tube I0. Thisforms a tube because when the elastic portion is reached the two panels9, are knitted together top and bottom. This of course forms a tube.Whether they are knitted on a tubular machine or flat bed Lamb typemachine is of no consequence. As used on the shoe the elastic portion isa short tube, and it will be noted in the reverse view that the upperand lower extremities of the panel, that is the upper and lower sides ofthe tube are reinforced by overcasting or sewing at Il. it is thisreinforcement that gives the elastic panel its tapered shape when in thecollapsed and flattened position because the panel portions whichreinforce at top and bottom are more or less collapsed to give anincreased body at the two corn-ers I2 and I3. The importance of this isthat this increased body at top and bottom of the heel pocket Where itengages the shoe or the foot of the wearer tends to anchor the protectorand hold it in place and this effect cooperates with the increasedadhesive effect to the shoe or foot resulting from the presence of theelastic panel.

In certain cases it may be preferable to fashion or shape that portionthat covers the heel of 1 the shoe, in this instance the heel portionwould fit snugly over the heelvvithout reinforcement and the knit inshaping would do away Awith the necessity of reinforcing bysewing inorder to provide the tapered shape. This type of heel is especiallyfxedfor use in case the article is made as in Figures 7, 8. It also will benoted that should this bottomV opening l8 in Figures 1, 2, 5, 7, 8 beleft closed a new type of foot covering is obtained which can be usedwithout shoes.

It will be understood that this elastic panel may be of the same ordifferent color as the body of the protector and will preferably beknitted or woven from rubber threads covered by the same general kind ofmaterial as the material from which the fabric of the protector is made.

The tube is closed when the protector is knitted as a unit, as ispreferably the case, by stitches extending across from the two panels,but lafter these stitches have been extended across, the panels arecontinued separately and because of this, when they reach their end, thetension of the thread causes the two panels to curl over upon the bodyof the protector making the characteristic curved reinforcing whichcooperating with the thickening at top and bottom and with the essentialnon-slip characteristic of the elastic panel tends to stiften the backportion of the protector and insure that it will lay snugly on the footof the wearer or onthe shoe of the latter especially if the protector isused on a shoe inconnection with galoshes and the like.

In a modified form shown in Figure '7, the elastic panel is shownadjacent the rearv extremity of the toe pocket. A further modified formshows two separate elastic panels on both sides of the foot portion. Thepreferred form is with the elastic panel at the back of the heel but itmay be forward of 'this so long as the panel is between that part of thetoe pocket which firmly grips the toe and the body of the protector. Theidea is that the yield of the'elastic panel enables the wearer tostretch the protector enoughr to put it on over the heel lift or overthe heel if there is no lift and at the same time contractsufficientlyto make a snug lit. It would do no good to have the elasticpanel at the extreme forward or toe end because the friction of thefabric upon the toe would render the panel largely inoperative and atleast altogether too ineffective in connection with the necessary yieldfor fitting.

The boundaries of the two openings, the top for the foot entrance andthe bottom for the heel are preferably formed or knitted with a selvageedge. When'the protector is reversed to bring 'the curled end of theelastic panels on the inside the whole fabric is reversed and the resultis that the two selvage edges associate with each of the two openingscurl outwardly, thereby giving a reinforcement or thickening of rtheprotector around the openings.

In Figure 9, is diagrammatically shown the selvage edge which is rolledas at l, in Figure 4. The selvage edge is formed as usual in theformation of selvage edges in knitting, the thread coming out to theedge of the fabric and then going back into the fabric to forminterlocked stitches in the usual manner as at 20.

It will be understood that it is of the utmost j importance that theshoe protector be actually knit as one continuous unit. When worn as aprotector under galoshes if the protector is built up of a number ofseparate pieces sewn or otherwise fastened together, it will be bulky inspots 1 and the pressure of the galosh on the shoe will cause damage tothe shoe and discomfort to the wearer.

We claim:

1. A shoe covering comprising a toe pocket, 1 continuous side panelsextending rearwardly therefrom and terminating at the extreme rearend'of the covering in a short closed tube of elastic fabric, thepocket, side panels and tube being integrally knit, the side VpanelsVbeing joined 2 at their bottom for a portion of the distance betweenthe pocket and the tube and being separated at the bottom for theremainder of that distance, the panels at the top between the pocket andtube'being entirely separated. 2

2. A shoe covering comprising a toe pocket, continuous side panelsextending rearwardly therefrom and terminating at the extreme rear endof the covering in a short closed tube of elastic fabric, the pocket,side panels and tube being 3 integrally knit, the side panels beingjoined at their bottom for a portion of the distance between the pocketand the tube and being separated at the bottom for the remainder of thatdistance, y, the panels at the top between the pocket and tube 3 beingentirely separated, the panels being bounded by selvage edges which arerolled outwardly at top and bottom to form a reinforcement.

3. A shoe covering comprising a toe pocket, continuous side panelsextending rearwardly 4 therefrom and terminating at the extreme rear endof the covering in a short closed tube of elastic fabric, the pocket,side panels and tube being integrally knit, the side panels being joinedat their bottom for a portion of the distance be- 4 tween the pocket andthe tube and being separatedat the bottom for the remainderof thatdistance, the panels at the top beween the pocket and tube beingentirely separated, the panels being bounded by selvage edges which arerolled out- 5| wardly at top and bottom to form a reinforcement, thetube being reinforced by stitching at top and bottom in generalalignment with the edges of the panels.

4. 'A shoe covering comprising a toe pocket, 51 continuous side panelsextending rearwardly therefrom and terminating at the extreme rear endof the covering in a short closed tube of elastic fabric, the pocket,side panels and tube being integrally knit, the side panels being joinedat 6l their bottom for a portion of the distance between the pocket andthe tube and being separated at the 'bottom for the remainder of thatdistance, the panels at the top between the pocket and tube beingentirely separated, the panels 6l being bounded by selvage edges whichare rolled outwardly at top and bottom to form a reinforcement, the tubebeing reinforced by stitching at top and bottom in general alignmentwith the edges of the panels, the closed end of the tube 74Ybeingreinforced by two short oppositely curled integral portionsextending from top to bottom of the body.

5. A shoe covering comprising a toe pocket,

continuous side panels extending rearwardly 'n therefrom and terminatingat the extreme rear end of the covering in a short closed tube ofelastic fabric, the pocket, side panels and tube being integrally knit,the side panels being joined at their bottom for a portion of thedistance between the pocket and the tube and being separated at thebottom for the remainder of that distance, the panels at the top betweenthe pocket and tube being entirely separated, the tube being rein- 10forced by stitching at top and bottom in general alignment with theedges of the panels.

6. A shoe covering comprising a toe pocket, continuous side panelsextending rearwardly therefrom and terminating at the extreme reartegral portions extending from top to bottom of lo the body.

RALPH HINCHLIFF. EDWARD C. HINCHLIFF.

